Cookbook review: Jazzy Vegetarian Classics by Laura Theodore

This is the second cookbook by Laura Theodore, host of Jazzy Vegetarian on public television. Despite the name, Jazzy Vegetarian Classics: Vegan Twists on American Family Favorites is completely vegan, so all the recipes are totally plant-based. (She explains in some detail why they originally chose the term vegetarian when creating the show in 2011. They didn’t think the term vegan was understood by enough people.) This book focuses on traditional family fare, updated to be plant-based. The book is full color and hardcover. Theodore is a jazz singer and actress as well as a cookbook writer and television host.

What I liked about the book:

The menus in chapter two will be very helpful for people wanting to understand how to eat plant-based, as is the glossary and other tips throughout. A nice variety of recipes. Many recipes have gluten-free tips, but gluten-free recipes are not tagged. Some recipes include the words [nut-free, no oil] at the top. subtle. She only uses lightly-processed sugar, like maple sugar and syrup, and most recipes are whole grain.

I wasn’t so keen on:

Recipes were not coded for special diets; nutritional analysis is not provided, which would be helpful for low-sodium eaters. Some recipes had gluten-free options, but there’s no indication of how many recipes the book includes or how many recipes are gluten-free.

Recommended for:

vegans and vegetarians, dairy-free eaters

Not recommended for:

Migraine, gluten-free, celiac, paleo, or low-sodium diets

A note about my cookbook reviews: In the past, I tested at least three recipes from each book, took photos, and described my experience. Due to my dietary limitations (extremely-low-sodium for my Meniere’s Disease and trigger-free foods for migraine relief), it is no longer possible for me to test the recipes and do them justice.

Required FTC disclosure: I received one copy of this book from the publisher for the giveaway on May 29th, 2015.
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